


What does it mean to be “alone”?

by Angel_In_The_Night_Sky



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Am I sorry? Kinda, Character study? I guess?, Deleted Scene, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Mental Breakdown, Oma Kokichi-centric, Sad Oma Kokichi, Sympathetic Oma Kokichi, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26110147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_In_The_Night_Sky/pseuds/Angel_In_The_Night_Sky
Summary: We always forget that Kokichi saw the outside world before everyone else even knew it could possibly be destroyed. How do you think he reacted?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 74





	What does it mean to be “alone”?

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired this comic! https://the-everlasting-ash.tumblr.com/post/626760580205838336/outside-its-been-a-while-since-ive-drawn-a
> 
> If you want to go in blind, wait until after you finish the fic to check out the comic, but do go see the comic. It's great.

Deep, panting breaths filled the dim room. How many times had he been here now? How many times had he been here, beaten and bruised after running the gauntlet of doom? And how many times had he been faced with that same vault door, closed, obscured by lasers, mocking him? Death after death and yet it remained closed, and no amount of force could pry it open. _“Well, that might not be completely true,”_ the boy thought with a shallow laugh, _“I bet Gonta could at least make a dent in one of those big iron clasps holding it shut.”_ Now here he stood, breathless, but almost hopeful, with the key to his and the rest of his fellow hostage’s freedom. He pulled the keycard from his pocket, examining it. He never would have thought that one the annoying little cubs would just hand them their escape.

The second Monophanie pulled out the unassuming little keycard, claiming it was the next motive, he had eyed it, looking for his chance to nab it. He saw his chance as the rest of the “class” were discussing what to do with it. Snatching the key from Shuichi’s hand, he took off down the closest hall, with Kaito in close pursuit. It was easy enough to lose him, just run up and down the stairs a few times, duck into an empty classroom, and hide behind the door in case he looked. Soon, the astro-nut, exhausted, had given up on him and headed back to his friends. Which left himself to go to the Death Road of Despair to put the keycard to proper use. He ran through the, now familiar, hall of death easily, jumping and dodging this way and that, and finally ended at the exit.

He was almost certain what Monophanie meant by “next motive”. If anyone else figured out this was the key to the exit, someone would want it for themselves. Would kill for it, if it came down to it. But he had a plan, he always had a plan to deal with the motives, didn’t he? They hadn’t worked so far, but hey, learn from your mistakes, right? After confirming that this was the actual exit, he would go back, gather the remaining survivors up, and lead them down the road with the Electromallets he’d asked Miu to make so they could all leave together. Finally. And maybe then he could explain everything. Explain why he acted the way he did. Explain how his back-up plan in case he couldn’t find the exit was to make everyone think that he, Kokichi Ouma, was the mastermind, and force this stupid killing game to end. Kokichi smiled at the idea. It would be nice, for once, to be treated with whatever weird form of kindness that confession would earn him. But first, the door.

He slid the card into the slot of the weird parking meter shaped terminal next to the door. In an instant, the lasers went down and the light on the door switched from red to green. Kokichi smiled, this was it. He quickly looked over the buttons on the terminal, locating the one that said “OPEN/CLOSE”. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, something went his way. Opening his eyes, he pressed the button and stood in front of his future. The door opened, slowly and heavily. Red light glistened through the crack and Kokichi held his breath as the doors slid open. As he saw the outside world for the first time, Kokichi gasped…

Big mistake, apparently. 

He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe, he coul _dn’tbreathehecouldn’tbreathe-._

The poisonous air was blowing in his face, into the room. He was struggling to keep his footing as he turned around, trying to get back to the terminal. He could barely see as his hair was whipped into his face and eyes, and it was all he could do to keep from collapsing. Where was that goddamn button, where was it wherewasitwherewasit?!?! Not a moment too soon, he slammed his palm on the button and heard the door begin to close behind him. Kokichi looked back the world behind the door, taking one last glance at the unbelievable sight. And then, the door closed, plunging the room in darkness.

Kokichi slid down the closed door, gasping and gulping down the air around him as he tried to make sense of what he saw. Start simple, Ouma. Work outward to the bigger picture. Okay, so the dome they were in was in the middle of a city. He didn’t know what city, but most likely one outside of Japan since he would have heard about the rich deciding they should build a random dome with a school inside it in his home country. But why would they be in a protective dome in a foreign country? To protect them from danger in Japan, most likely. But what kind of danger? One that can destroy a city, poison its air, and make the sky a dark, dusty red. The scene flashed before Kokichi again, the utter desolation of a city, ash raining down in a way that looked almost continuous if the several feet of ash on the ground was anything to go by. The only sound had been the wind howling as it rushed at Kokichi. Not even the low, but loud buzz of the bugs that he hated so much now. It sounded like the world was dead.

His breath caught in his throat. No, that couldn’t be it, that couldn’t possibly be it. Not after everything they’d been through. Not after everything he’d done! And yet the pieces fit too perfectly. Why else would an escape be offered, especially so early? And the name, fuck, the _name!_ The Death Road _leads_ to Despair, he should have figured it out so much sooner! But he clung desperately to the hope of any escape, any chance to leave and find his family, anything… oh god. _DICE_ … They’re almost definitely…

“Nishishi~...”

His small and empty laugh echoed through the room. His gang, his family… if the rest of the world couldn’t survive, there was no way that they would. They… they had to be…

“Ehe...ehahahahahah _ahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”_

Kokichi couldn’t stop the maniacal laughter from escaping his throat. They were dead. The only family he’d ever had were dead and there was nothing he could have done! The one thing that had kept him going through the last two trials, the one thing that had kept him working so hard, and they were gone before he had even woken up! Of course! Why should he have expected anything else? 

He wasn’t sure when he had started crying, but sure enough, he could feel tears running down his cheeks like waterfalls as his strange laugh turned into a loud sob. Kaede had wanted them to be friends in the outside world, but that can never happen. Kirumi only killed so she could help the outside world, but it was already too late. He had been trying so hard… and now all his hard work was being thrown right back at him, like a lashing from a cat o’ nine tails. He was certain, at least, that with the exploration in the main building, no one would be anywhere near the Death Road of Despair, not even Monokuma or his two remaining Kubz, so no one would hear his breakdown. The last thing he needed was to be pitied.

Everyone else… they all hated him. Himiko, Tsumugi, and Kaito couldn’t stand him, Maki had threatened to kill him multiple times, Miu _was_ going to at least try and kill him, and even Shuichi, in all his patience, was at the end of his rope with him. The only person who didn’t hate him right now was Gonta, and that was only because Gonta was too sweet for this world. This… dead, broken, bugless world. What would happen to them, if they truly knew what lay beyond the fakeness of their dome? What would happen to Gonta when he learned that the only bugs left in the world were the ones in his Research Lab? Or to Miu when she figured out that not even her inventions could help the hollow earth they now lived on? Or Kaito when he found out that there was no way he could go to space now? Or to Shuichi or Himiko or Tsumugi or… well Kokichi wasn’t really sure _what_ someone like Maki held dear to her, but he figured even _she_ must have something she cares for that the death of the world took from her…

They would all breakdown, much like he was. Once again, a new plan was forming in his mind. A way to make sure that none of the others would ever find out what happened to the world. Of course… he wasn’t quite sure how to do that since the only real plan he could come up with involved getting away with murder, which he couldn’t really plan out since the actual _genius_ in their group was already partway through planning _his_ death. All he knew was that, no matter how he felt about the rest of the people he’d been trapped with for the better part of what had to be a month at this point, he couldn’t let them feel the way he did. No one should feel this way. No one should feel this overwhelming despair. 

And yet, he thought as he wiped the remaining tears off of his cheeks with his sleeve, he knew that no matter how he did this, no matter who he told or let see the true nature of the outside world as it is now, no one else would feel the level of guilt and worthlessness he felt now and onwards. From now on, he was acting on the idea of wanting to stay in this miserable place of death.

From now on, he was one of the only things he truly hated.

Kokichi Ouma was alone.


End file.
